Bucknell Names Inaugural Amos B. Smith III & Harold W. Heine Chair in Chemistry

Bucknell University has named Professor Will Kerber as the inaugural Amos B. Smith III & Harold W. Heine Chair in Chemistry. Made possible by a gift from Janet Duyckinck Smith '67, the professorship delivers long-term support for faculty research and scholarly work in chemistry.

The chair honors two figures whose connection began long before either arrived on campus. Harold Heine was a Bucknell chemistry professor known for his transformative teaching, singular devotion to undergraduate research, and deep commitment to mentorship. Amos B. Smith III '65 would become one of the foremost organic chemists of his generation, publishing widely, earning numerous honors and mentoring more than 150 graduate and postdoctoral students across his career at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Their relationship started in a dentist's office, where Smith's father, a dentist, persuaded his patient, Heine, to mentor his son on a high school science fair project. That early collaboration influenced Smith's scientific trajectory and sparked a mentorship that continued at Bucknell and lasted well beyond, until Heine's death in 2018 and that of his wife, Marjorie, in 2020.

The career of Amos B. Smith III ’65 (right) was deeply shaped by the mentorship he shared with Professor Harold Heine, chemistry. Their relationship spanned a lifetime — and started at Bucknell. Photo courtesy of Janet Duyckinck Smith '67.

"That was certainly one of Harold's traits — he was very devoted to teaching and really, really good at it," Janet says. The mentorship Amos received from Heine, she believes, shaped the mentor Amos himself became: someone who stayed in touch with former students for years and helped them find meaningful, impactful careers.

Janet and Amos met at Bucknell in an organic chemistry lab after she accidentally produced a fountain of purple foam from a burette, and he stepped in to help clean it up. They married in 1967. Endowing the chair, she says, is a way to honor both her husband of 56 years and the professor who influenced his life's work.

It is also a strategic investment in Bucknell's ability to attract and retain exceptional faculty. "Certainly one of the motivations is to give Bucknell a faculty slot that may help them recruit some really first-rate chemists," she says.

Named professorships at Bucknell are among the University's most prestigious recognitions, awarded to faculty who have made extraordinary contributions to their fields and serve as anchors for academic excellence. This chair will be held by a member of the Bucknell chemistry department and will provide sustained support for research and scholarly activities.

The inaugural recipient, Professor Will Kerber, is an inorganic chemist whose research focuses on metal clusters in solution and the growth mechanisms of iron oxide nanoparticles, which have applications in medicine. At Bucknell, he teaches both organic and inorganic chemistry and incorporates undergraduate students into his research, viewing those experiences as an essential part of a chemistry education. "I see research as being a foundational experience, or the capstone, really, for what our majors get out of a degree in chemistry," he says.

The professorship provides Kerber with additional resources to support student research. Gianna Lauricia '29 began working with him after her first year at Bucknell and spent summer 2026 contributing to his research on iron oxide nanoparticles. Her findings have already contributed to a paper he is preparing for submission, on which she will be an author. Kerber plans to use funding from the professorship to continue supporting Lauricia's research in his lab throughout her remaining years at Bucknell.

Kerber says the appointment is both meaningful and an honor, and sees the opportunity to support undergraduate research as particularly fitting given the legacy of Heine and Smith and the role that mentorship played in Smith’s own scientific development. "I feel like that is certainly the spirit of this position," Kerber says.

Janet has remained connected to Bucknell and to Lewisburg across the decades, and her own career has been one of remarkable longevity and purpose. She joined what is now Drexel University College of Medicine in 1973 and has spent more than 50 years teaching gross anatomy and histology to first-year medical students.

For Bucknell, the chair represents an investment in the future of chemistry at the University — strengthening the faculty, expanding opportunities for undergraduate research and helping Bucknell to attract and retain exceptional scholars.

For Janet, it also ensures that the legacy she shares with Amos and Harold continues to benefit generations of students. Through sustained support for faculty scholarship and the students who learn alongside them, the Amos B. Smith III & Harold W. Heine Chair in Chemistry will carry that legacy forward while contributing to the continued strength and distinction of Bucknell’s chemistry program.